Government orders probe into illegal martial law involvement

The South Korean government is launching a task force to identify public officials involved in the Dec. 3 martial law incident across all ministries and agencies. At a Cabinet meeting on Nov. 11, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok proposed forming the “Constitutional Integrity Government Reform Task Force” to quickly investigate officials who participated in or assisted the martial law attempt and to take personnel action. President Lee Jae-myung immediately approved the plan, saying it was a necessary action. The government said the Prime Minister’s Office will lead the effort by establishing task force teams in 49 ministries, aiming to complete investigations and follow-up measures before the Lunar New Year holiday in February.

The launch of a task force aimed at “clearing out sedition” appears little different from the recurring efforts to reshape the civil service whenever administrations change. It recalls the task forces under the Moon Jae-in administration, which made “eradicating deep-rooted evils” a top policy priority and produced significant side effects. Although the task forces claimed to address abuses dating back to the Park Geun-hye administration, which was impeached over a corruption scandal, and even the Lee Myung-bak administration, many of their actions applied ideological and political judgments to the past, creating divisions and imposing hierarchy within the civil service.

Of course, as President Lee noted, any officials involved in the illegal martial law attempt who remain in government must be thoroughly removed. In particular, questions raised by the ruling party during the National Assembly audit about whether complicit officials were included in military promotion lists must be clarified and addressed decisively. Any future allegations or concerns should also be met with thorough investigations and appropriate disciplinary action.

However, with three special counsel investigations already under way into the core allegations surrounding the previous administration’s role in the martial law attempt, a government-wide inquiry, along with whistleblower intake and subsequent administrative or legal measures, could become excessive. A government-led investigation, rather than one handled by law enforcement, may immediately spark controversy over who qualifies as "involved personnel” or “complicit officials,” given the ambiguity of those terms. There is also no guarantee the task force will remain free from anonymous accusations or politically motivated smears.

The December 3 illegal martial law attempt triggered a sedition crisis that the country began to resolve through the president’s impeachment and an early election. Former President Yoon Suk-yeol, Cabinet ministers, military generals and police leaders have been arrested and are standing trial. Overcoming sedition cannot end with punishing the misguided leaders and loyalists who attempted a self-serving coup. The true strength that sustained South Korean democracy lay in the civic consciousness that resisted historical regression. Excessive purges and sweeping cleanups have often marked the start of another cycle of failure and must be remembered.